The Walking Dead season 2 episode 7 recap

Downside: It’s the midseason finale, which means no more recaps until the New Year. Upside: We get a much needed break from Stupid Shane.

Look at Andrea turning into Commando Barbie, sharpening knives and sh*t.

Like everyone on this show, Daryl has made a miraculously quick recovery from a serious injury. In other news, the Norman Reedus Gun Show is open for business once again.

Glenn keeps his streak of “worst secret-keeper ever” alive by telling the group about the barn zombies. Predictably, the group does not take this well.

Keeping zombies penned up in a barn like this seems particularly inhumane.

Stupid Shane is the worst person EVER.

Guys, fighting in range of the zombies is a BAD PLAN. It only incites them. How about you move this argument about 100 feet away?

Officer Rick is looking particularly good in his tight little button downs. Stray observation.

Dear Glenn: I’m starting to think you shouldn’t get so invested in Maggie. She’s kind of horrible to you, like, all the time.

I love that Glenn’s reaction to Maggie creaming him with an egg is, “Why would you waste an egg like that?” Another difference between the RV survivors and the farm cannibals—the RV survivors know every resource is finite.

Report: Carl’s sh*t acting is under control so far.

I find it oddly touching, and one of the better aspects of the show halfway through the season, that it’s racist assh*le Daryl who has the most hope for finding Sophia. Awful, awful Sophia.

Dale is a nosy son of a bitch, but he is trying really hard to keep Andrea from making a giant mistake with Stupid Shane. Girl, LISTEN TO HIM. He knows of what he speaks.

Good acting moment: The way Andrew Lincoln stutters over “those…people” in reference to the barn zombies. The show has been uneven this season so far (more good than bad, to be fair), but Lincoln’s portrayal of Rick remains superb.

I do, however, wish Rick would stop trying to reason with Herchel. Herchel is a crazy farm cannibal and he doesn’t deserve Ricks’ fairness. It’s almost painful to see Rick beg him about remaining on the farm.

Of course, if Stupid Shane was in charge he’d probably just kill all the farm cannibals in their sleep and claim they ran off into the night.

Just noticed that Rick’s hair is longer than it was in season one. Nice continuity touch.

Informing Stupid Shane that Horrible Lori is pregnant will only serve to bring out the worst of his “protective” instincts. Should provide some good fodder for the second half of the season.

Maggie trying to reason with Herchel is a perfect example of how you make the need to balance human moments with moving this show forward. So far, this is the strongest episode of the season because no one is standing around debating morality and survival. There’s plenty of survival vs. morals talk happening, but it’s all advancing characters and plot. Forward momentum!

Oh, NOW Herchel needs Rick’s help. What a f*cking hypocrite.

Stupid Shane is the WORST person EVER.

Increasingly, Stupid Shane’s tunnel vision and self-centered view of the world is becoming his scariest trait. His resentment of Rick is going to go supernova one of these days.

Midway point: Stupid Shane is losing his sh*t, Dale is on a mysterious errand, Horrible Lori is beginning to see that Stupid Shane is off his rocker, Rick is helping Herchel remove zombies from a bog because Herchel is completely f*cking nuts and is incapable of accepting that the world will never be what it once was.

I find it impossibly cute that Daryl has hitched all his hope on finding Sophia to blooming wildflowers.

Aww, Glenn is so cute, telling off Maggie and earning her respect and affection by being kind of mean to her. Wait…

Oh now you’ve done it, Dale. Now you’ve gone and made Stupid Shane angry. And no, Dale, you can’t shame Stupid Shane. Stupid Shane has no shame.

Of COURSE, just as Stupid Shane is trying to stir up a rebellion and arm everyone to the teeth, T-Dog spots Rick and Herchel with the bog zombies. Sh*t, meet fan.

Stupid Shane is the WORST PERSON EVER.

WHAT THE F*CK.

Stupid Shane, in all his wisdom, decides the proper thing to do is bust open the barn doors and unleash the zombies. Everyone lines up shooting-gallery styles to take them out. Result: zombie holocaust on the Farm of Doom.

The last zombie to emerge from the barn is, predictably, an infected Sophia. Because a little kid surviving for days alone in this wilderness would’ve been completely unrealistic.

In another telling moment, Stupid Shane (and everyone else) freezes at the sight of Sophia, but Rick comes forward and kills her. Because for all of Stupid Shane mocking Rick’s inability to live in this world, when it really counts, Rick can do the things Stupid Shane can’t.

The season concludes its first half with its strongest episode yet. Combined with episode 6, we’re getting some good positive momentum going and I think we can reasonably expect the second half of the season to be a lot more even and less prone to redundancy than the first half.

Status check:
Officer Rick – Still the best reluctant leader these ingrates could’ve asked for.
Horrible Lori – Wising up to Stupid Shane’s crazy.
Stupid Shane – IS THE WORST PERSON EVER.
Dale – Probably going to be murdered in his sleep by Stupid Shane.
Glenn – Making good with Maggie.
Herchel – Severely disillusioned by watching Stupid Shane mow down his family and friends.
Sophia – At least they finally f*cking found her, though, amirite?

Worst thing seen/heard this week: Zombified Sophia being put down by Officer Rick.

Zombie kill of the week: Stupid Shane at the barn with a gun, in slo-mo.